Video Read Aloud Guidelines for Mon. County Volunteers

With possible restrictions again this year for reading aloud in classrooms, we hope you will consider recording yourself doing your normal read aloud to share remotely with teachers and students. Read Aloud of Monongalia County is specifically seeking videos from local volunteers to be shared with local schools through a new Read Aloud of Mon. County YouTube channel. If you are a volunteer from another county who wants to share video read alouds, please email Amanda, our statewide Communications & Development Director, at aschwartz@readaloudwv.org for further guidance.

Here are some guidelines to help you make a successful video:

1. Pick a quiet spot in your home, where your read aloud won’t be interrupted by loud noises or people walking past.

2. Use the best video camera you can find. This may be your phone. If so, set it for Do Not Disturb or place it in Airplane Mode during the recording. Then be sure to turn it horizontal before you start recording.

3. Make sure your camera is stable. If you’re having someone else record you, let them rest their arm on a table or on the back of a chair so the picture doesn’t wobble. Also locate where the camera is on your device so that you can look more toward that area.

4. Follow the rules you normally would use for a read aloud session – practice reading the book at least three times out loud beforehand. You may want to use voices or props (if you are comfortable doing so) to make the story engaging, and remember to show any pictures to the camera!

To share your video with the Mon. County chapter, upload it to this Google drive folder: www.readaloudwv.org/monvideouploads. Please remember to include your name and school in the video title. 

Once successfully uploaded, email Diana Claydon of the Mon. County chapter board at dsclaydon@gmail.com with your school and teacher’s name, as well as the name of the book you recorded. Diana will upload your video to the Mon. County YouTube and Facebook pages, and email you back a link to the video to share with your child’s teacher. Then your teacher can share the video with their classroom!

If you have any trouble making or uploading your video, email Diana at dsclaydon@gmail.com.

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Ten to try: By kids, for kids

We asked our Read Aloud Families participants to send us recommendations for books that they think our readers need to know about, and we were not disappointed! Here are ten of their picks with quotes from each child explaining why they like the title.

Salt

by Maurice Gee | Grades 7th and up

“Like all dystopian books I have read, I can say that this book was good and if anyone asks, I recommend it. The events of this book are real enough that if humans don’t watch it, it could happen in the future. The ability to talk telepathically actually could be the result of a mutation or exposure to radioactive material. And deep salt itself could be the product of nuclear energy and some gem fusing underground.”

— Joshua | Age 14 | Monongalia County


Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

by Dr. Seuss | Grades PreK and up

“This book is really cool. It’s by Dr. Seuss. He is my favorite author.

— Rose | Age 7 | Harrison County


The Wingfeather Saga

by Andrew Peterson | Grades 3rd-6th

“This series is great because it’s a lot of adventure and the children are the main characters.”

— Jamin | Age 8


Flora and Ulysses

by Kate DiCamillo | Grades 2nd and up

“I like how it gives the point of view of the squirrel and how there is a lot of funny stuff in it.”

— Kylie | Age 13 | Brooke County


Ramona Quimby Series

by Beverly Cleary | Grades 3rd-8th

“Good for younger kids to read, but entertaining enough for older kids and even adults to read as well. Told from the perspective of Ramona Quimby, read through the series as she makes various silly mistakes and makes a lot of funny choices. It will keep you laughing out loud to the very end!!!!”

— Ginger | Age 12 | Monongalia County


Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Last Olympian

by Rick Riordan | Grades 4th and up

“It is action-packed and very gripping. Right before the war against the monsters, Percy is determined and says, ‘It’s time to get this war started.’ Everything from the chapter titles to the actual words is gripping. I was pulled in on the very first paragraph. Overall, it’s a very good book.”

— Josephine | Age 10


Island Of The Blue Dolphins

by Scott O’Dell | Grades 4th and up

“It’s always a mystery. You never know what is going to happen next.”

— Maria | Age 11 | Randolph County


The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes

by Bill Waterson | Grades 4th and up

“Its funny because in one Calvin’s naked and goes down stairs. In another one Calvin has a sled and is going to ride a loopty loop and Hobbes doesn’t want to do it and Calvin says he’s a sissy.”

— Brady | Age 10 | Monongalia County


Piggy Bunny

by Rachel Vail | Grades PreK-2

“Piggy show how you can be anything you want to be.”

— Westen | Age 5 | Greenbrier County


The Wild Robot

by Peter Brown | Grades 3rd-6th

“I like that Roz the Robot learns how to live in the wild and becomes friends with animals. She goes on adventures and is very helpful too.”

— Peyton | Age 10 | Monongalia County


Honorable Mentions

Horton Hears a Who! by Dr. Seuss – anonymous
The Impossible Quest by Kate Forsyth – Kaylie, Age 12
Magic Kitten by Sue Bentley – Jade, Age 10
Wacky Wednesday by Dr Seuss – Jamie & Calvin, Age 6
Rex vs. Edna: The Very First Chicken by Douglas Rees – Zayne, Age 7

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The next normal, whatever it is

Letter from the Executive Director, Dawn Miller

All year, Read Aloud chapters around the state have adapted and adapted again to best serve children, families and schools as conditions have changed. Volunteers read online when possible, by recording when desired, and ramped up book distributions. They handed out books with meals, at special drive-through events and increasingly, as schools have re-opened, first to students, then to guests, at more traditional in-person events.

Many volunteers have expressed interest in reading at programs this summer, they miss their classes so much. We are taking requests from summer programs and matching them with eager volunteer readers. (To arrange yours, contact your local chapter or email stateoffice@readaloudwv.org.)

While readers were cut off from their classrooms and students were cut off from their classroom libraries, Read Aloud doubled up on its usual book distribution efforts. In a good year, Read Aloud gives away 10,000 books and magazines to children around the state. Since Jan. 1, 2020 to this spring, Read Aloud has given out more than 25,000.

As regular volunteers know, Read Aloud is particular in how it gives out books. All of Read Aloud’s efforts emphasize choice because choice is an important factor in motivating children to read for pleasure, just as it is important to adults.

With the restrictions of the past year, volunteers sought and found new ways to engage students, to ask, “What are you reading?”

We adapted classroom “book tastings” where students get to discuss and recommend books. They, their teachers and volunteers may read excerpts. After a chance to “taste” a variety of books, children choose a book to keep.

Thanks to a windfall of books for middle- and high schoolers, we were able to offer a school wide book tasting at Buckhannon-Upshur High School. You can read the details on page 1.

Teachers and volunteers adapted events to their particular needs.

In Jackson County, Chapter President Janet McCauley organized half a dozen classroom book tastings in elementary schools. Teachers in those classrooms chose to lead the events themselves, sampling and reading books with children, and then giving students the opportunity to choose their books.

Just recently, Alban Elementary teacher Allison Stephens and her colleagues invited Kanawha Chapter President Derek Hudson and me to virtually attend their in-person classroom book tastings. Teachers gave children opportunities to preview the books. During the event, the children recommended books to us and to each other. When there was a lull, which was not often, Derek and I were available to build on the conversation about Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems, or The Lost Dinosaur Bone by Mercer Mayer, for example. It was a good time.

Berkeley County reader and chapter member Casey Willson and Kanawha County reader Jackie Thompson both tried a different approach, a “read along.” Every student in their classes one week received a copy of the book they read virtually.

Whatever the approach, all of these efforts give children opportunities to practice what they are learning, to find the words to express their thoughts, and to make connections with each other and with caring adults.

Even when they don’t admit it, children, even teens, are influenced by the adults who care for them. That means if parents, grandparents, teachers, and other mentors make time to discover good things to read and share their discoveries, young people will be influenced.

We will continue the stepped-up book distributions, because nothing beats summer learning loss like reading books for fun.

Looking ahead to fall, we are hopeful that schools will be able to welcome volunteer readers back to their classrooms. We are eager to be there, and plan to adapt to whatever the next normal is.

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All through the grades

In Upshur County, high schoolers find and swap books that keep them reading

By Dawn Miller, Executive Director of Read Aloud West Virginia

Caden Andrick, Cameron Zuliani, Kiara Woods, and Katie Pearson, students at Buckhannon-Upshur High School

For School Library Appreciation Week, Buckhannon-Upshur High School Librarian Angie Westfall put the word out to students each day – there will be free books in the library at the end of the week.

Westfall, a member of the Upshur County Read Aloud chapter board, arranged to have enough books for all 1,000 high schoolers to choose a book to keep.

Back in Charleston, Read Aloud West Virginia Board member Mike Proops and wife Jo Proops, a volunteer, helped prepare and pack books. Becca Revercomb, a retired Kanawha County teacher and a volunteer reader, drove the truckload to Buckhannon.

In advance, Buckhannon-Upshur teachers read some of the books, and were seen doing it. They previewed titles and discussed choices with students. Westfall and her volunteers arranged the merchandise invitingly around the library.

On the day, groups of students, all masked, rotated through the library every 15 minutes to choose a book to keep and to talk about what they enjoy. By the afternoon, 400 books were gone.

“Everyone in the building promotes literacy,” Westfall wrote later. “Pictures of teachers and the books they were reading were put on our closed-circuit TV to add excitement. After the event, students with their choices were also added to the TV lineup.

From left to right: Alisa Compton (Science teacher), Duane Stoeckle (Social Studies teacher), Mindy Dawson (English teacher), Tracey Fluharty-Godfrey (Assistant Principal), Mike Lemley (Science teacher), and Ann Clem (English teacher)

“Teachers said that it was nice to see so many students reading! They were reading everywhere we looked: under trees, on the sidewalk, at lunch, during silent reading in classes, and in the library.”

The event was part of Read Aloud’s increased effort this year to help students get their hands on books that interest them while school and library access have been disrupted.

One student, tipped off that among the choices would be the title she had been wanting most — The Descendants series by Melissa de la Cruz — was particularly looking forward to the event.

Buckhannon-Upshur High School Librarian Angie Westfall dresses for a skit in the library a couple weeks after the book tasting. “The opportunity to promote one of our free books was a must,” she wrote.

But on the day, she was ill and missed school. She returned the following Monday and got her book.

“She was so excited she didn’t know what to say,” Westfall texted the following week. “She skipped on the way out of the library!”

Students were offered fiction and non-fiction, hardback and paperback, many genres, graphic novels and even a few signed copies. Many of the books were bought through First Book, a non-profit that makes high interest books available to schools and literacy organizations. All were provided by Read Aloud donors.

“Readers are well aware of the cost for books,” Westfall wrote. “Some will purchase paperbacks because of the price, but long for the hardback copy.”

“Because of the many choices, students had a difficult time deciding which one to take home.”

At least one group clubbed together, each selecting one of five volumes of Alexandra Bracken’s The Darkest Minds series. Partly set in West Virginia, it is the story of adolescents who survive a plague but who are left with extraordinary mental powers. Adults mistrust and abuse them. The group plans to swap books until they all have a chance to read the four installments plus the additional book of short stories.

“Students are still coming in to get books!” Westfall wrote weeks later. “We are still working to get books in the hands of all our students. Some students have checked out the next book in the series they first selected. Other students have decided to purchase the series, and then also read other books by the same author. In a time of so much technology, our students still enjoy holding a book in their hands! Thank you.”

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A beautiful partnership

Young, autistic illustrator and her former teacher publish a picture book

By Amanda Schwartz

One day, Amee S. Neal gave her teacher at Ashton Elementary, Janet Rowe, a drawing she had made. Amee is autistic and was very shy and reserved at that time, but she loved to draw and read. She was always the Accelerated Reader of the month and year; Janet thinks she may still hold the school record today.

Janet Rowe (middle) and Amee Neal (right) with Janet’s granddaughter and book namesake, Aliera.

“I was honored she would give me drawings. I became friends with her family,” Janet said, describing via email how she taught Amee’s older sister then Amee herself. “I told her, if I ever wrote a book, I would ask her to be the illustrator.”
Janet was an elementary educator for 34 years in Mason County and retired in 2013. After retiring, she began volunteering as a Read Aloud WV classroom reader, reading to her granddaughter’s Kindergarten class and a first-grade class at Martha Elementary. During this time, she was inspired to write her own children’s book, making good on her promise to Amee years before.

“I approached Amee and her mother, Kelly, about going on an adventure to become an illustrator for a story I had written,” Janet said. “I explained, I knew nothing about being an author and getting a book published, but I was going to research it and find out. Amee was thrilled and so was her mother.”

Two years later, Janet came into some unexpected money and used it to self-publish their book – Aliera Wants to be a Monkey – through Covenant Books, Inc. The process took eight months, and both Janet and Amee were a little disappointed in the end to find out that their book would only be available to purchase online, not in stores.

Janet reads Aliera Wants to be a Monkey to granddaughter (and book namesake) Aliera’s class at Martha Elementary in Cabell County.

Even so, they persevered. Amee and Janet began visiting local schools to share their story and promote their book. “I would read the book aloud and Amee would talk about being an illustrator and draw the picture that is on the cover of our book while talking,” Janet explained. “She did a great job and got better and better.” Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to these visits, but the pair hopes to resume them next year.

In the meantime, they finished their second book! Janet is currently searching for an agent to represent them, with the hope that this book can be sold in retail stores.

“I would like Amee to be in the spotlight!” she shared. “She does many artistic pieces other than illustrations for me. She wants to use her talents to be an inspiration for others, and I would like to see our book get published so we can be partners all the way through life.”

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Collaborations, events, and book giveaways

Our chapters have been hard at work! Here are some highlights of things they’ve accomplished recently or are working on right now:

Read Aloud of Greenbrier County plans to read aloud for Alderson Elementary students during their deliveries of school grown produce to a local farmer’s market.

Read Aloud of Fayette County is planning a Snuggle & Read event. They are also developing another partnership with a local drug recovery court to provide books to participants and their children.

Read Aloud of Mercer County held a COVID-conscious Snuggle & Read for 117 children at a local library.

Students at Ripley Elementary peruse options at their book tasting event.

Read Aloud of Wood County has a Summer Book Binge coming up at Jefferson Elementary Center, funded through support from Tri-State Roofing & Sheet Metal. Wood County schools are also planning to let volunteer readers return to the classroom in the fall, so the chapter is preparing for that.

Read Aloud of Kanawha County had classroom book tastings for all grades at Alban Elementary.

Read Aloud of Jackson County has a lot of great news! Second graders in the county received personal copies of the first in The Fantastic Frame series, while all the second-grade classrooms received the entire set of five books to complete the series. A volunteer recorded the first book in chapters, which were made available to classrooms for them to follow along. This project was funded through a grant from Jackson County Community Foundation.

Additionally, children of families who received Christmas packages from Epworth Church each received a new book through our Jackson chapter. Book tasting events were held at Ripley, Evans, and Kenna Elementary, including twelve classrooms covering first, second, and fourth grades. And finally, Read Aloud of Jackson Co. provided books for Jackson County Early Explorers to include in two sets of theme-based Read! Play! Grow! packets. This program was so well-received that Jackson County Schools is funding similar packets for students through the summer, and Read Aloud of Jackson County board member Cheryl Miller is helping create those packets for the youngest students.

Girl Scouts of Troop 1774 Madison Boylan, Isabelle Williamson, and Abby Mabley delivered books to Little Free Libraries from Barboursville to Kenova in Cabell County.

Read Aloud of Berkeley County is exploring partnership opportunities for book distributions with their local Boys and Girls Club and Norborne Daycare center. They are also planning to work with a sleepaway camp for children of families that have been impacted by drug abuse to provide books to participants. There may be upcoming opportunities for in-person read alouds for Berkeley county-wide summer school.

Read Aloud of Putnam County is rebuilding a local presence with a recent school-wide book tasting event at Poca Middle School, serving almost 300 students with books of their choice.

Read Aloud of Cabell County volunteer and troop leader Linda Beaver has been working with local Girl Scout Troop 1774 from Community of Grace United Methodist Church to stock Cabell Little Free Library boxes with gently used books.

To find contact information for your local chapter, visit readaloudwv.org/participating-counties.

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Ten to try: Raleigh County tested and approved

In this issue, our Raleigh County Chapter took over Ten to Try! Longtime Raleigh volunteers, Ruth Baker, Ann Cline, and Judy Robinson reviewed and recommended the following books.

The Wall in the Middle of this Book

By Jon Agee

There is a wall in the middle of this book that is supposed to protect one side of the book from the other side. Supposed to. This story elicits enthusiastic discussions.

Grades K-4


Insectlopedia

By Douglas Florian

Delightful art and poems about insects for all grades. Bring it along as an addition to your read aloud selection.


The Quickest Kid in Clarksville

By Pat Zietlow Miller

As they wait for Wilma Rudolph’s hometown parade to celebrate her three olympic gold medals, two girls challenge each other to a race. Conflict turns to cooperation.

Grades 1-3


The Eye of the Whale: A Rescue Story

By Jennifer O’Connell

A true story about saving a humpback. Dramatic pictures.

Grades 2-4


Stick and Stone

By Beth Ferry

Friendship matters. An enchantingly simple story for PreK and up.


Rotten Ralph

By Jack Gantos

A Read Aloud hit that appeals to children’s fascination with tales of misbehavior.

Grades 2-4


Hidden Figures: The True Story of Four Black Women and the Space Race

By Margot Lee Shetterly

An ode to Mathematicians, including one from West Virginia. Why did the extraordinary contribution of these women remain hidden for so long?

Grades 4-5


Lulu and the Brontosaurus (The Lulu series)

By Judith Viorst

We read this in first grade, and they loved it and laughed. We are not all perfect, and we can change.

Grades 1-3


A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars

By Seth Fishman

Math in gigantic form! How many trees in the world? How many ants? Can you imagine so many…of anything? A visual illustration of estimation.

Grades 3-5


The Day you Begin

By Jacqueline Woodson

This book celebrates the bravery it takes to go forth even when you feel like an outsider.

Grades 2-4

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Finding the fun in reading: it’s worth it

By Beverly Richards

As the President of the Marion County Chapter of Read Aloud West Virginia, you might assume I was always a great reader. I even have my Master’s Degree in Reading; therefore, it sounds a little crazy when I say that I didn’t believe reading was “fun” until I became an adult.

Reading as a child was never easy for me, no matter how hard I tried. I would practice regularly, but it just never seemed easy or enjoyable. I had many smart friends who were great readers and excelled in school. They were always in the “Blue Birds” reading group, reserved for the best readers. I always made good grades, but reading didn’t come easily to me the way it did for my friends. I strived to be a “Blue Bird” and achieved my goal for a short time, until being demoted again. I wondered what was wrong with me.

I remember my dad and grandmother reading stories to me when I was growing up, and I loved it! My grandmother was a teacher, and she read with many voices and a lot of inflection. But when I tried to read to myself, I read very slowly and had to reread things over and over to understand and make sense of the story.

Even so, I really wanted to be a teacher just like my grandmother. I worked hard to get the grades I needed to get a degree in elementary education. I realized that reading should be easier than it was, so I decided to also get a certificate to teach children with learning disabilities. I reasoned that if I studied this field, I would learn strategies that would not only help me better educate the children in my care but would also help me to improve my own reading experiences. I learned a lot, and I did see an improvement in my own reading comprehension, but it was still difficult.

There had to be more. I decided to get my Master’s in Reading from WVU, and this is what turned the corner for me. In my Master’s program, I discovered how enjoyable and fun reading could be, especially when reading books I chose! I found myself excited about reading and teaching reading to others. I am so glad that I didn’t give up, because I truly love to read now. I like to read for information, pleasure, and for self-help. I also read to my granddaughter all the time and many other children too! I even create read aloud videos for children to enjoy. Quite the turnaround from where I started!

Please know that if reading is hard for you or your child, I’m positive you are NOT the only one going through this. Yes, practice always helps. Creating pictures in your mind of what you are reading is important. Experiences are helpful when you think about how what you already know relates to what you are reading.

But, perhaps the most important thing is choice! Find a book that you or your child is interested in reading and read it! You will be surprised how much enjoyment and growth can come from spending time in a good book. You may struggle and get discouraged when comparing yourself to others like I did, but I hope you won’t give up. Reading is magical, and it can take you to places you never realized were there. Take it from someone who’s been there — it’s worth the effort.

Granting Book Wishes

‘Rich book talk,’ now more than ever

A letter from the Executive Director, Dawn Miller

Children need us now more than ever. By us, I mean Read Aloud West Virginia, formally, of course – our classroom readers, our book distributions. But children also need us in general, their community.

Every week we hear from teachers. In addition to everything they struggle with this year, they ask how they can fit it all in. How can we get children to engage with books outside of the school day?

This is where the community comes in.

Read Aloud works on this a lot. Our community volunteers take time each week not only to show up and be present to read to children, but also to read ahead and practice and stay on the lookout for books their classes will enjoy. Our chapters come together to plan events and book distributions that give children, their families, and their schools opportunities to find and share books to love.

Every child needs this – people around them who believe, and show that they believe, that books are important. They need people who set the example in busy, distracted times for the brain and soul nourishing activity of reading.

Learning to read is often thought of as a set of skills, write Pam Allyn and Ernest Morrell in Every Child a Super Reader (Scholastic, 2016).

“And while it’s certainly true that children must learn to orchestrate a complex set of strategic actions that enable comprehension and decoding, it’s equally true that learning to read is a social-cultural event,” they write. “In other words, learning to read is more than simple skill building. Children also become readers when they are immersed in a community of readers, surrounded by rich book talk and animated demonstrations of reading, and provided with the social-emotional support that enables them to become members of the ‘literacy club’.”

When they say, “super readers,” they don’t mean just a test score. They talk about academic achievement, but also personal fulfillment, social well-being and civic engagement. Super readers enter a text with a purpose. They grow confident. They take risks, and they learn to discuss and expound on what they read.

As you see throughout this newsletter, Read Aloud is helping to fill needs exacerbated by shortened and interrupted school schedules. We are offering our classrooms virtual “Book Tastings,” where students can have rich book talk, and then choose more books to keep. We have been building Read Aloud Families, to help children to build their home libraries and to nurture family habits that will grow super readers.

On January 13, thanks to Scholastic, our chapters will come together for a virtual conference featuring Pam Allyn. Here, our volunteers will share some rich book talk of their own and carry knowledge and inspiration out to their communities.

Children, their families, and teachers respond to these efforts. They send pictures and thank-you’s. They tell us children are eager when their packages arrive. Children ask for the next book in a series and recommend books to their friends, cousins, and to us. With our steady example, they are growing into a community of readers.

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Parks family gathers donations for Wetzel literacy

By Amanda Schwartz

September 17 was a special day in the Parks family. It was the day Cristi Parks celebrated her mother Kay Parks’ birthday before she passed. This September, Cristi felt called to do something to honor her mother’s memory, and that is how Read Aloud learned about Kay Parks.

Born and raised in Wetzel County, Kay was a force for literacy and creativity in her community. She loved to read to children at her local elementary school, and, as a gifted musician, she could often be found playing the organ at a local church or teaching a child to play the piano. Kay’s passion for serving her community lives on in her daughter, who had the idea to honor her mother by gathering donations from family members to give to a local organization that continued the work that was closest to Kay’s heart. The family has deep roots in Wetzel County, but many live out of state. Cristi hoped this might become an annual tradition to give back to their hometown around Kay’s September birthday.

Read Aloud West Virginia was selected as the organization to support because we work to instill a love of reading in children, just like Kay did. All donations directed to this project will be used in Wetzel County to continue to motivate local kids to read for fun by offering free, high quality books and magazines to children and families, with the long-term goal of connecting with new volunteers and establishing a Wetzel County Read Aloud chapter.

We are truly honored to have been chosen as the recipient of these memorial donations and are deeply touched by this new model of giving. With so many people forced to leave West Virginia in recent years, it’s heartening to meet a family dedicated to giving back to the place they come from and making it better for those that remain. This openhearted spirit bolsters our belief that by working together, across industries, counties, and communities, we can create a more literate, prosperous West Virginia.